Back in October I photographed an assignment for Ladies' Home Journal and it is on newsstands now (the February issue)! Each month they have a column called 'Animal Affairs.' I was assigned to photograph a family from New Orleans forced to evacuate from Hurricane Katrina and leave their dog behind! The mother was a nurse at one of the hospitals in town, and smartly put one of the hospital information bracelets around the dog's neck with her contact information. A few weeks later, they were reunited with their pup in Texas. The family is currently starting a new life in Columbia, MD.

I saw Alyssa, known as the Penny Princess, on 'Ellen' this week. She is collecting pennies to buy bullet-proof vests for police dogs. She was such a sweetie- take a peek at her site, www.protect-a-dog.com